[Tell me about 1/4 waves]

WOW! Thanks for the in-depth explanation.. So cool..

[Tell me about 1/4 waves]

39 minutes ago, WRQC527 said:

Yes, quarter-wave ground plane antennas work really well. I've built and bought several of them for 2-meter amateur radio use. The ones like yours that I've seen on Ebay have stiff straight radials bent down 45°. Are the ones you have drooping because they're flexible, or are they bent in a curve like that? 

That is the Ebay one.. They are bent that way.. Had a note with it that said he has changed the radial design..Said this was better.. Told him I needed it tuned for 462.6500 and it came in 1.0 on channel 19...I didn't test any other channels as 19 is all I am going to use it for.. It seems to be a great little antenna..

[Tell me about 1/4 waves]

Now I am confused, I thought the radials were a ground plane..  Interesting..

[Tell me about 1/4 waves]

 I picked this little antenna the other day for my RT97 for back country communications...Easy to pack and easy to hide were my main considerations.  

 

 After playing with it for awhile I must say I am thoroughly impressed. Definitely out performs my roll up N9TAX that was my previous back country antenna..  I was able to talk to my repeater at 16 miles with a HT, it was high on a hill though..  I just had no idea this little antenna could be so good...

 

 

 

[Odd issue with Tidradio TD-H3.]

11 hours ago, MohawkMike said:

I have the exact same issue as i type this.  I have to go through each entry manually to change the power settings.  I am also having issues with channels 31 and 32 not showing up in the radio.  They are there in Chirp as repeaters but no go.  It will take it if I enter them manually, but it's a pain.  

 

 I have since learned that on chirp, "M" is actually high. By switching from M to H, we are actually changing from H to L..

  Now that I have that figured out life is easier and no more problems.. I do like the radio and it is putting out a tad over five watts..

[GMRS repeater Retevis RT97 range / vs handheld radio]

High on the ridge I can talk thru my RT97 with a HT out to 15 miles..That is as far as I have checked  it so I don't know the actual range.. Using a base antenna will get you considerably more range than a HT, but unless you can place it in a central location, it probably won't help a lot.. I do like my repeater though..

[SWR Question]

Now that I have the SWR figured out I deployed my portable repeater back  to compare it against the copper J-Pole I had there last week . Working like a champ and I can hit it at many fars...I changed out the KMR-400 coax which I learned was not the best choice for repeaters with M&P Ultraflex 10.. So far so good... Not always a handy tree to hang it..

[SWR Question]

Yes, I have the 102, but the HT's were connected to the Slim Jim, so that should have negated the ground plane problem? 

[SWR Question]

Yes, seemed weird to me also, but I did get an answer.. Nothing to worry about as the repeater transmits on 462, only listens on 467.. So obvious that it makes me feel stupid...LOL..   I was doing my antenna testing using HT's.. When I went thru the repeater it was a perfect 1.0..

 

  Still, that is a awful big jump from 462 to 467..  Hmmm?

[SWR Question]

I have a roll up Slim Jim antenna..I got it for easy packing and set up in the mountains for my portable repeater..On all simplex channels the SWR is perfect or near perfect with little fluctuation thru the channels..The SWR goes through the roof on repeater channels..Like 3.6 through the roof.. I have eliminated,radios and coax by going through my base station antenna, a J-POLE... SWR goes up a tad on repeater channels , 1.0 to 1.3,  so the problem must be in the Slim Jim.. Near as I can tell there is no tuning.. Hoping someone has a idea or it's time trash it and do something different..If it doesn't work for a repeater I have no use for it..

 

  Thanks

[Odd issue with Tidradio TD-H3.]

Well, I have had one annoying problem..After programming on chirp and uploading back to the radio my power level mysteriously goes to low power even after I programmed all channels to high..  I end up using the radio menu to change everything back... Other than that, no other problems..

[You just got your GMRS license, now you want your own repeater?]

I really like my RT97..Works great for what I need, which is occasional use in the mountains for communications. I can get about a 30 mile circle which is more than enough for my needs. 

 

 

[Question about Baofeng UV-5G Plus battery]

Mine says 2500, but it sure seems to run down much faster than that..  Hmmm?

[License Info]

No email or any other notification.. I logged in and found my license.. .I imagine you have had yours for awhile.